TREES AND TECH: How Science Is Saving the Forests 

REACH to FOREST’s Tree Talks, curated by author Marie Arana, celebrate literary giants that illuminate the beauty and wonder of the forest. Engage in thought provoking dialogue between literary and environmental experts exploring advances in technology that have helped us understand forests. Books by author Kirk Johnson will be available for sale prior to the event and signings will take place after.

Kirk Johnson, Director of the National Museum of Natural History (moderator)

Stuart Davies, Director of the Forest Global Earth Observatory, Smithsonian Institution

Lilian Pintea, VP of Conservation Science, Jane Goodall Institute

Compton J. Tucker, NASA Scientist

Kirk Johnson

Director of the National Museum of Natural History

Dr. Kirk Johnson is the Sant Director of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History where he oversees the world’s largest natural history collection. Under his leadership, the museum opened The David H. Koch Hall of Fossils-Deep Time, an exhibition that interprets the history of life on Earth and its relevance to the future of humanity. He is the author of “Cruisin’ the Fossil Coastline,” and “Trees Are Made of Gas.”

Stuart Davies

Director of the Forest Global Earth Observatory (ForestGEO), Smithsonian Institution

Stuart Davies holds the Frank Levinson Chair in Global Forest Science and is a Senior Staff Scientist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute.

His research investigates ecological and evolutionary influences on rain forest communities throughout the tropics. He uses a range of disciplines to understand how environmental factors can affect species, their demographics, and the ecology. These studies are fundamental to understanding the origins of diversity in forests as well as understanding the impacts of changing land-use and global climate change.

Prior to becoming Director of the ForestGEO, Davies coordinated the Asia Program of the Center for Tropical Forest Science, cosponsored by the Arnold Arboretum at Harvard University. Before that, he was a Senior Research Associate at Harvard’s Center for International Development (2001–2003), Associate Professor at the Institute for Biodiversity and Environmental Conservation at the University of Malaysia Sarawak (1997–2001), and a Predoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Brunei Darussalam (1993–1994).

Lilian Pintea

VP of Conservation Science, Jane Goodall Institute

Dr. Pintea brings 30 years of experience in applying satellite imagery and Geographic Information Systems to the work of preserving forest habitats as well as human and chimpanzee populations in Africa. He is passionate about unlocking the potential of innovative technologies to address rural populations that make uninformed decisions that impact the environment. He works closely with villagers in Africa, national governments, and academia.

Compton J. Tucker

Compton Tucker, a native of Carlsbad New Mexico, came to NASA/Goddard as a post-doctoral fellow in 1975 after receiving his Ph.D. degree from Colorado State Universityand in 1977 became an employee of NASA. At NASA/Goddard, Tucker has used satellite data to study the Earth, in research areas that include famine early warning and food security, deforestation, glacier area, ecologically-coupled diseases, and the carbon cycle. He took part from 2002 to 2012 in NASA’s Space Archaeology Program, leading a group that assisted archaeologists mapping ancient sites with ground-penetrating radar and magnetometry in Turkey, at the sites of Troy, in the Granicus River Valley, and at Gordion, the home of King Midas. Since 2014, he has devoted most of his time complimenting NASA satellite observations with commercial satellite data.

Patrons who make advanced reservations can pick up their tickets at the REACH Box Office on the day of the screening beginning one hour before the event when the REACH Box Office is open. Print your email confirmation/voucher at home and present it to the REACH Box Office, or show us your email confirmation/voucher at the REACH Box Office on your smart device.

Tickets that have not been claimed by 15 minutes prior, on the day of the performance will be released and distributed to a giveaway line. This is a first come first serve event; a Reservation Confirmation does not guarantee you a seated ticket to the performance. Please arrive one hour before the event to exchange your confirmation email/voucher at the REACH Box Office for a ticket to be seated in the Justice Forum.